New cat species identified for first time in 100 years

In a groundbreaking discovery, a new species of cat has been identified for the first time in over a century. Found in Bolivia, the Leopardus tilcayo shares similarities with a leopard but is significantly smaller than a typical domestic house cat. The paper detailing this new species was published in Current Biology on Thursday.

The tilcayo is characterized by its relatively large, irregular, dark brown to black rosettes on a light brown fur coat, which darkens along its spine and lightens towards its limbs. Measuring between 425 to 505mm from head to body tip, excluding its 250 to 265mm-long tail, the tilcayo is notably smaller than the average domestic cat, which ranges from 460 to 510mm long with a tail measuring 250 to 380mm.

The cat's diminutive size and unique markings make it a fascinating discovery. While locals in the Bolivian Yungas region were already aware of the tilcayo, they had no specific name for it, merely calling it "tilcayo." The specific cat that aided in the identification of the new species had been living at a Bolivian wildlife sanctuary for nearly a decade.

Initially discovered by a local man, the kitten was thought to be a regular house cat until it was recognized as a wild animal and subsequently handed over to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016. Upon further review in 2019, it became clear that the cat did not match any existing known species. DNA testing confirmed that the cat was indeed a completely new species.

The local tilcayo living at the sanctuary, affectionately named Tigrino, serves as the sole representative of this new species in human care, providing a wealth of information about its unique characteristics. However, the discovery of Tigrino opens the possibility that other tilcayo cats might have been misidentified in the past, awaiting further investigation.